Vol.11 / Issue 8           Tennessee Valley Woodworkers             Editor, Richard Gulley                 August 1996

Well folks, summer is rolling right along and it’s dragging me right along with it. Last Christmas when our daughter informed us she intended to get married around the first of August, I said "No problem - plenty of time". But this Saturday (the 10th) is the day and my list of chores is not complete. I only told you that to tell you this - I’ve got to get this letter out quick. Hopefully it will not be short in quantity or quality, but it will be quick. Let’s get on with it.

I don’t put too much stock in crystal balls or Ouija boards but I think I can tell what the future holds for you if you attend this month’s meeting. The August meeting will be on marketing and presentation of products. The format will be an informal panel fielding questions from the floor. You might want to get your questions ready for the experts. The panel will consist of Ted Baldwin, Phil Bishop, Susan Church, Tom Cowan and Louise Green. It should be a very good opportunity to learn about what sells and how to sell.

Last month’s meeting was great! Lot’s of show -n-tell stuff and the program was very interesting. You know I remember the article in Organic Gardening about the Marugg scythe, and now I get to meet the owner / operator in person. Just another fringe benefit of being associated with the Tennessee Valley Woodworkers.

We had several guests at last month’s meeting. Skip Baker from Cowan showed us a fine example of his dulcimer making skills. Doyle, I’d like to see more of his work (like in a program).

Tim and Larry Halbeck (a father and son woodworking team) were also guests. They brought several samples of there work and they looked good. There shop is located at 300 Lambert Ridge Road out of Wartrace. Stop by and see them if you’re in the area. You might even find someone a special Christmas present or two.

I’m sending both these visitors a sample copy of Splinters and I hope we see them back this month. If there’s any other prospective members lurking around let me know and I’ll try to send them a Splinter. Ouch!

Tom Cowan was working on a landscape in miniature for a production to be filmed in Memphis area. Is there no end to this man’s talents. The August program was a joint effort of Bill Knight and Henry Davis. Bill told of a turning seminar he attended in Gatlinburg and Henry spoke of the trials and triumphs of a table he had been working on.

The following somewhat lengthy article is what I’m counting on to make this edition quick. It is not, however, a filler. It contains a lot of good information about a great little handtool called the spokeshave. The author, Patrick Leach, is an authority on handtools and planes (especially Stanley) and has a book soon to be released on the subject. I hope you enjoy.

Spokeshaves are really nothing but a short_soled plane, capable of working small or tight areas. They are generally used for fine finish work since they are very easy to control (once you get the hang of them). However, their light weight allows them to be used very rapidly, making it possible to remove a surprising quantity of wood in a short time.

Some folks prefer to push them away from their bodies, while others prefer to pull them toward their bodies. Whatever works for you is probably best. One thing that you'll likely suffer the first time you ever use one, especially the metallic models, is chatter. This is almost always due to too much pressure being placed on the heel of the tool causing it to rock back on itself. You also need to put sufficient pressure on the toe, ahead of the iron. Forceful strokes will make it spew tight curls effortlessly.

There two fundamental kinds of western spokeshaves (I say "western" 'cause I don't know if they were/are used in the East), which most of us recognize _ wooden spokeshaves and metallic spokeshaves. Spokeshaves are general purpose tools, apart from the other shaves, which are de_

signed for a particular use or trade (coopering, chair building, hand_rails, etc.).

The wooden spokeshaves are very simple in their design, and differ greatly from the metallic ones. These spokeshaves have a flat, long iron with two squared tangs to either side bent upward to form an elongated U_shape. The iron is oriented so that it's parallel to the sole of spokeshave and its bevel faces inward. The tangs of the iron fit into tapered holes of a wooden stock. The tangs project from the top of the tool.

To decrease the set of the iron, it's hit from below each tang and driven deeper into the stock, first on one side, then the other, until it's at the proper set and parallel to the sole. To increase the set or remove the iron, the tangs are hit from above, driving the iron away from the stock.

The wooden stock is usually beech or boxwood. There are two integral handles that flank the iron. The handles are shaped to allow a comfortable grip giving the tool an avian look with its wing_like handles. The length of the stock comes in a seemingly infinite variety, but most of them range from a few inches to about 10 inches. Most of these wooden spokeshaves were made in England during the last century and the first half of this century.

There is a fundamental flaw with this kind of spokeshave. Because the iron relies on compression of the wooden stock's fibers to hold it in place, the fibers eventually breakdown and compact upon themselves making it more and more difficult for the tool to grip the iron tightly. This problem manifests itself after years/decades of use, and it's not a real concern when using wooden spokeshaves that have seen little use. Of greater concern, however, is the tendency for the stock to split about the tangs. Once this occurs, the tool is pretty much useless for use.

Wooden spokeshaves are very prone to wear at their soles. You'll find many of them with so much wear to them that they are of no use anymore (unless you want to re_sole them). The makers overcame this problem by plating the soles with a brass strip inlaid into the sole. Some of the homemade spokeshaves had a piece of bone or other hard material inlaid into the sole.

The shortcomings of wooden spokeshaves were eventually addressed by the introduction of metallic spokeshaves. As it was for metallic planes to replace wooden planes, so it was for metallic spokeshaves to do the same to wooden ones, and eventually become the standard.

Metallic spokeshaves, for the most part, are nothing but a miniaturized version of a plane, in principle. A broad, slotted iron rests on a inclined bed, and is held in place by a thumb screw activated lever cap. The lever cap rests near the cutting edge to act as a cap iron. The irons are manually adjustable; there are few spokeshaves that have any mechanical aids to setting their irons. Two handles, cast integral to the inclined bed, flank either side of the iron.

There are all sorts of variations to this fundamental design, with good ol' Leonard Bailey, of plane fame, leading the charge. What follows is some of Bailey's designs, along with those of some of his competitors. It should be noted that when Stanley bought out Bailey's plane patents, they also took with them all his spokeshave designs. Stanley carried many of these designs for decades more. Stanley also invented some other designs, but roughly half of their spokeshaves were based on Bailey's designs. [No attempt is made to list all of Stanley's spokeshaves. These are just the most popular models, which you're most likely to find as you scrounge for old tools].

The #51 and #52 were two of the most popular designs offered by Stanley. These spokeshaves are of the basic design (as described above), with a 2 1/8"W iron. The two models only differ from each other in the shapes of their handles _ the #51 has curved, semi_gullwing handles, whereas the #52 has straight handles. The #52 seems to be the weaker designs of the

two _ it's often found with one of its handles repaired, right where it joins the bed. In all metallic spokeshaves, the portion of the casting just in front of the iron should be inspected for cracks or repairs. This part of the casting is very delicate in relation to the rest of the tool, and can be often found broken.

An improved design to these two spokeshaves was invented by Stanley. This new design called for two thumb screws, which engage slots at the heel of the iron, to permit some mechanical means of adjusting the iron. The screws ride on separate threaded rods directly behind the iron. These threaded rods can become bent, making adjustment difficult. The two models were designated #151 and #152, and they follow the identical handle designs as the #51 and #52.

Stanley also made two variations of the #151, one of which is made of malleable iron, and the other made with a round (convex) sole. The one made of malleable iron is #151M, and it was made to withstand slamming it on concrete. The round sole model, the #151R, is one of Stanley's rarest shaves. It was only offered for a few short years, but the English seemed to prefer it more that us Americans. The English_made model is far more common and nowhere near as valuable as the American_made one. If you collect this stuff, be careful that you're buying an American one. "Made in England" on the iron or cast into the tool ought to offer a clue here. If you're a user, the English_made model is just as good as the American.

The #53 and #54 are similar to the #51 and #52 (#53 has the curved handles and the #54 the straight), but they have an adjustable throat. A pivotable, cast iron (some are made with gun metal) yoke is pinned to the main casting. The lower portion of this yoke acts as the front of the sole, and it is moved nearer or farther to the iron by means of a thumb screw at the yoke's top. Beneath the yoke, to the right and left of it, are two small springs that push the yoke away from the iron as pressure on the yoke is relieved via the thumb screw. These springs also offer some tension on the yoke as it's adjusted. Make sure that the springs are present otherwise the yoke will move freely and not stay in place.

The iron is held to the tool with a slotted screw. The iron itself is slotted for roughly two_thirds its length, with the slot running all the way through the top end of the iron. The iron must be designed this way to allow the yoke's thumb screw to place pressure on the main casting and not on the iron. If the thumb screw made contact with the iron, the iron would be near impossible to set. Once you learn the quirks of this tool, you'll find it nice to use.

The #55 has a concave sole (across the width of the iron) making it useful for rounding. The tool has a different means of securing its iron in place. This tool has a flat, slotted cap through which a slotted screw passes. The cap fits over the iron, also slotted, and together they are screwed to the main casting. The handles are curved. The heel of the iron has a pronounced curvature to it, following the curvature of the cutting end.

The #60 is actually two spokeshaves in one. A straight iron and a concave iron are fitted into the tool side_by_side. Each of the irons is 1 ½" wide, which is far narrower than the normal width of 2 1/8" used on most of the other spokeshaves. Still, the tool is nice for general purpose work within its range. There is a flaw that this spokeshave tends to suffer. The casting that's used to secure the two blades in place often is cracked near one of the three screws. Stanley made an attempt to correct this problem by replacing this piece with a flat bar of steel.

The #63 is a lightweight convex sole spokeshave. It's very common, and is the cheapest spokeshave for doing concave work. The iron is 1 3/4" wide. It has a nearly identical brother, the #64, which has a flat sole.

The #65 is a rather funky looking tool. Its purpose is to cut chamfers. There are two adjustable fences that move along the spokeshave's cutting edge. These two fences are moved manually and are secured by thumb screws. The fence regulates the width of the chamfer by exposing a portion of the cutting edge. It's a clever little tool, and if you're into chamfering, it's a much cheaper alternative to the costly #72 plane.

The #67 is Stanley's most complex spokeshave. The company which gave us so many gadgets in their plane line found it necessary to provide us with at least one in their spokeshave line. This spokeshave was called the "Universal Spoke Shave", not because it was favored everywhere but because it could be adjusted to particular applications.

The tool has a nickel plated frame, which carries the blade. Into this frame are screwed two turned rosewood handles. Each of the handles is marked, either L or R, to designate into which side of the tool the handles are screwed (in case it ain't obvious, L means left and R means right). The handles are normally position so that they oppose each other and the tool is configured like a normal spokeshave is. But, there are also two other holes (again, marked L and R) in the frame into which the handles can be screwed. These holes are positioned above the mouth of the tool, allowing it to be configured so that the handles are at a right angle to each other. This permits the tool to take advantage of its rabbet mouth and work into corners.

If that isn't enough already, this tool also comes equipped with two interchangeable soles _ one flat and one curved (convex). But wait, there's even more! There is also a small fence that slips over the face of the tool to control the width of the cut. A lot of parts for what should be a simple tool. As might be expected, the parts can easily be misplaced, and they usually are. The tool is most often found missing one of its soles and its fence. If you're hunting for replacement parts, start by looking in your clothes dryer. After that, get in line.

Millers Falls made two very nice spokeshaves, the No. 1 and the No. 2. Both of these spokeshaves are characterized by nicely turned rosewood or cocobola handles, either of which may be removed (unscrewed) when working tight areas. They are also nickel plated, making for a rather striking tool when in mint condition.

The No. 1 is a circular spokeshave, about the diameter of a bread stick. The tool is used for doing curved work and is capable of working tight radii. A curved iron sits outside the tool and is secured in place by two conical headed screws. The tool can be rather difficult to use at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's the one you go to when doing curved work. Its small size makes it ideal to work tight radii, which no Stanley shave can work satisfactorily.

The No. 2 is a rather weird little beast. It has an iron, with two slots in it, which rests on an inclined bed, like the common Stanley models. Through each of the slots a screw passes to secure the iron to the bed. Forward of the iron is a removable sole section, which is held in place on the tool with two small thumb screws. The sole section has four different shapes to it, and can be positioned for curved or straight work as the case may be. As a side benefit of this sole piece, the mouth of the tool can easily be opened or closed simply by sliding the sole piece either farther or nearer the iron. It's one nice tool, given to us by a fellow from Erving, MA, which today is only famous for the manufacture of toilet paper.

One of the most ingenious spokeshaves ever to appear on the market was invented by a dude from the Arizona Territories, back in 1900. He had to go all the way to Syracuse, NY to find someone, E.C.Stearns, to make his product. The design gets an A for effort, but an F for longevity.

The shave has all the bells and whistles one could ever hope to include on such a simple tool _ there is a cap iron that can be positioned as near or as far on the cutting edge as the worker deems appropriate, the mouth can be open or closed using the exact same yoke assembly as found on the Stanley #53 and #54, and the real 'benefit' that this tool offered is an adjustable sole.

This wasn't any common adjustment mechanism. This one was a full_blown flexible sole that used a securing mechanism right off the Stanley #13. A steel sole is bent to fit over the lowermost portion of the bed, on the main casting. The sole extends backward some 2 1/4" where it rolls around a pin, which in turn is fastened to a curved bar. This bar loops back toward the front of the tool, and passes through a slotted and raised projection of the main casting, where a thumb screw secures the curved bar in position. Thus, it's possible to lock the sole into an infinite number of positions throughout the sole's range, be it concave or convex. Nice idea, and nice try, but there's one fundamental problem _ the sole can't withstand repeated adjustment, and often tears, rendering the tool useless.

__________________________________________________________

Patrick Leach

I forgot to mention the improvement applied to the wooden spokeshaves in the spokeshave infomercial I posted yesterday.

The problem of the iron staying put in the wooden spokeshaves made them a pain in the butt to use due to the possibility of splitting the wood, the failure of the wood to grip the iron tightly, and the trial and error method of setting the iron. An improvement was made to the

means by which the iron was held to the stock of the tool, without changing the overall design or actual use of it. These spokeshaves are often referred to as 'plated and screwed'.

The u_shaped iron has its tangs threaded along their vertical lengths. Each tang fits into its own tapped brass thumb screw. Each thumb screw is held captive by a little diamond_shaped (usually) escutcheon_like piece that is secured to the stock with countersunk screws, making it

impossible for the thumb screws to separate from the tool as they are turned. The iron is raised (or lowered) for each turn of the two thumb screws thus making it possible to obtain fine adjustment of the iron and, at the same time, overcoming the drawbacks of the simpler wooden spokeshaves.

The spokeshaves usually are found in the larger sizes, with irons around 3" long. They almost always have a brass wearstrip along the leading edge of their soles. This style of spokeshave works very nicely since it's very easy for it to be adjusted for coarse work or for very fine work. The mouth opening is regulated vertically, and is made very fine by drawing the iron nearer the stock, or made coarse by moving the iron away from the stock. All in all, they are nice tools. But only when they have seen little use, if you demand that they possess a tight mouth.

As is the case with the standard wooden spokeshave, repeated sharpening of the iron makes it impossible to maintain a fine mouth; i.e. there is a horizontal factor which also determines the mouth's width. The iron becomes shorter and shorter with each and every honing, causing its cutting edge to move farther from the sole, resulting in a wider mouth. There's really no way around this problem due to the tool's design.

Another problem with the design is trying to find replacement irons, if your iron is short. You can't pilfer one from a standard wooden spokeshave since their tangs are four_sided and taper along their length, making them n.g. for threading. You have to scrounge for a similarly shaped and sized one, and then hope that its threads match.

__________________________________________________________

Patrick Leach

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Splinters. Next month maybe we’ll have a little more variety. I do want to leave you with this word of advice -

If at first you don’t succeed-

Don’t try Skydiving

See you all August 14th at the Duck River Electric Building at 7:00 pm. Til then, as always, watch out for SPLINTERS.